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CTS Athlete Kaci Lickteig Wins Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run

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June 27, 2016 (Colorado Springs, CO) – Hailing from the flatlands of Nebraska, professional ultrarunner Kaci Lickteig captured the biggest win of her career by winning the 2016 edition of the 100-mile,Western States Endurance Run ultramarathon in 17:57:58. Lickteig is coached by Jason Koop, Coaching Director for CTS and author of Training Essentials for Ultrarunning.

“Kaci did everything right. Training, nutrition, lead up races, and heat acclimation were all spot on,” commented Coach Koop. “She also handled the race well from start to finish by managing her effort and attitude. She was the smartest, toughest and best prepared.”

Lickteig’s victory at the world’s oldest 100-mile ultramarathon is a testament to her hard work and determination and an illustration of the power behind the training concepts Jason Koop shares in Training Essentials for Ultrarunning (VeloPress, 2016). Though Western States features more than 40,000 feet in overall elevation change, Lickteig primarily trained for the event near her home in Nebraska, where the largest local hill rises just 93 feet. In addition to countless repeats on small local hills, Coach Koop focused on using interval training to increase Kaci’s speed and aerobic capacity, a strategy that flies in the face of traditional high-mileage, low-speed ultrarunning training methods.

“Dream days happen not by magic but by hard work, determination, and believing in yourself and your training,” said Lickteig at the finish. Koop added, “Kaci’s a real person. Her win shows that if you do the right things and avoid the wrong ones you can be successful, even at the highest level.”

Amanda Basham, another runner coached by Jason Koop and a CTS Coach herself, finished fourth in the women’s field in her debut Western States race. “Amanda was a revelation in the women’s field,” commented Coach Koop. “Few people knew who she was before the day started. That’s no longer the case. She executed the race well by managing her efforts early and was just tough as hell toward the end.”

Over the past decade Coach Koop has become one of ultrarunning’s leading coaches, working with several of the sport’s stars including Lickteig, Dakota Jones, Timothy Olsen, Dylan Bowman, and others. His proven coaching methods represent a crucial shift in ultramarathon training, prioritizing energy system development and focused interval training over the traditional high-mileage style of training. As the sport of ultrarunning continues to grow, more athletes are seeking top-quality coaching. CTS has responded to increased demand by adding two more ultrarunning coaches this year, John Fitzgerald and Amanda Basham, and training them to deliver Coach Koop’s methods.

Training Essentials for Ultrarunning is available at https://trainright.com/ultrarunning, velopress.com, and through bookstores and major online booksellers. Coach Jason Koop is available for interviews and speaking engagements. CTS is celebrating Kaci’s victory with a special ultrarunning coaching offer at https://trainright.com/pixieninja. For a limited time, new ultrarunning coaching signups will receive a free copy of Training Essentials for Ultrarunning signed by both Coach Koop and Kaci Lickteig.

About CTS:

A pioneering company in the endurance coaching industry, CTS has improved the performance of more than 16,000 amateur and professional athletes since 2000. Founded by renowned coach and author Chris Carmichael and home to more than 40 full-time, professional coaches, CTS provides personal coaching, training camps, and Endurance Bucket List experiences to athletes of all ability levels. For more information, visit www.trainright.com.